Professor Layton and the Return of the Hiatus Pi
by Nate-kun
Summary: For Pi Day; Short friendly one-shot; In which the boy lets slip that his memory can falter from the hustle and bustle of adventure, and the professor reveals a hidden weakness secreted deep inside his abdomen. Did someone say spoilers for the entire series?


**What's that? You missed me? That's absurd. The first ever major fan-community I participated in actually remembers me from ****_2009? _****Y'know, the year where we all were speculating that Last Specter wasn't going to be as disappointing as it ****_actually _****turned out. Whatever, you guys are clearly brown-nosing me, and it's working. Anyhow, yes I suppose I'm back. Not for anything major of course due to other projects phoning in on me and stuff.**

**Now that Azran Legacies has been released and I've been spoiled to all its plot points, (One major one of which I was right about... Fuck yeah, point for me.) Layton has ironically been retired as the protagonist of his own series. Yeah, there will be more Layton games, shit they just won't ****_star _****Layton. I suppose I can finally write for this series again now that I know its major details without getting some horribly wrong months before a new game comes out. Marvelous.**

**I'm sure the guys that ship Layton with Emmy really phoned it in on that one, in retrospect that ship just seems...creepy now. All creepy-leapy. Euugh. Creepy-Hindsight ships aside, enjoy.**

**Timeline: I'm sure if you know context, you'll understand when this takes place.**

**Word Count: 895 words.**

* * *

Professor Layton and the Return of the Hiatus Pi

"Professor! Can you come here for a minute, please?" asks Luke, the ever-growing and curious boy.

The professor in question does not hesitate, after all, it's his self-proclaimed apprentice. One should always know that on a list of priorities, self-proclaimed apprentices stack just above double agents and adopted maidens, yet just one tier under would-be wives.

Of course, being that the professor and Luke have just returned from solving the mystery of the Azran civilization and taking down Targent for good, it's given that he is yet to be aware of the latter two cases.

The inheritance dispute hasn't been brought up to him yet.

"Mm? What is it, my boy?" asks the professor, he was currently invested in an archaeology book of some sort, but if the boy required his attention, well then, such trivial aspects of his day would have to be put on momentary halt.

"Oh, it's not a big deal, really it isn't, I was just wondering if you could help me with my homework."

Ah yes, the boy's academics. Just because he gets to travel the world with someone as prominent as Professor Hershel Layton, going about to different places and solving puzzles, does not necessarily create a get-out-of-jail-free card for the boy to use whenever he pleases. For him, academics are still a priority.

Next to the violin, that is. A difficult hobby that the boy only pursues thanks to the concept alone being one of his mother's greatest desires for him to accomplish and master.

He is no where near musical genius.

"Oh? Well then, I can definitely spare a few minutes there, what exactly is it that you need help with?" asks Layton. He kneels down to the boy's lied-down position on the couch, attempting to observe the book he was reading.

"I'm trying to solve this problem, but I can't seem to complete it because of a stupid necessity!" he says, voice almost cracking in the process. That's a sort=of drawback when it comes to young little, British boys.

Or just any boy in general.

Layton adjusts his hat, words like "stupid" don't exist in his common-day mental dictionary, "Now now Luke, I assure you that there are no puzzles in the world un-solvable due to an "unnecessary" component. Can you show me which of these problems it is?"

The boy motions his finger towards a problem having to do with one of life's greatest mathematical wonders, or so that was what Layton believed. A specific number meant to only be specifically relevant on a specific day, for specific reasons.

The professor sees a simple problem on the page, nothing more, nothing less.

"My most sincere apologies my boy, but what seems to be the problem here."

Luke looks up at him, confused, "You don't see it?"

"Not at first glance, no. Is there something I'm supposed to be seeing here?"

"Yes." Luke simply answers, unsure as to why he doesn't see what he sees.

"Apologies again, my boy, but...what am I supposed to be looking at, exactly?"

"That! That thing right there!" his fingers directs the man to a certain character printed on the page, "That...double T thing! I keep forgetting its name.."

Layton's blank, observant expression dissolves into a more humble one, "Oh, I see now. My boy, that is pi."

It takes a few seconds for it to click, "Oh yeah! I...erm, "vaguely" remember learning that...then we kinda had that whole fiasco in the ruins."

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"W-Wha? No, sir. I kinda also need to know how to represent it. See, it's one of those numbers that just um, goes on forever and ever without wanting to stop."

"Ah, I see. I assume you forgot that as well?"

Luke pauses to briefly hide his face in the couch, "W-Well, when you have to juggle a grade A apprenticeship and schoolwork, m-my preferences, sorta-uh, lean towards the former-"

"Three point one four." Layton says, startling the boy initially, "That's it?"

"That's all there is to it. Rather long number, but all in all, only the first three numbers are essential to any problem, as is the case with a majority of the decimals in mathematics."

Luke writes everything he's hearing down, but he's still confused, "How can you even remember stuff like that? It's all too confusing.."

"Not at all. Just simple things concealed by a cloak of complexity, that when broken down, are actually the easiest things you'll ever come across. I'd give you some examples, but I don't wish to make your headache worse." the professor jokes with a smile that lets the boy know it's all in good fun.

Luke pretends to understand, quickly scribbling the three point one four into his book, as soon as he does that, he holds the book over his head. Such confusion, such conflict, too much for a boy who strives for the fun things in life.

He stays there not even for five mere seconds.

"Say Luke, can you go get your coat and shoes?"

Luke sits up, "Why of course Professor, but why? Are we going somewhere?"

Layton looks out his open window with his arms crossed behind his back, his ever-famous blank expression back on his face, "Oh, it's nothing really, my boy."

"I just happen to be craving a pastry at the moment."


End file.
